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Former England hitter John Edrich died at the age of 83.
The southpaw played 77 tests with England, making 12 centuries and finishing with an average of 43.54.
A Surrey legend, he made 39,790 first class races in total 564 matches, including 103 centuries, one of 25 men who compiled 100 tons of first class.
He was diagnosed with leukemia in 2000, but he lived well beyond the seven years he was given at the time and died of natural causes at his home in Scotland.
Edrich believed mistletoe injections he received since 2005 extended his life and allowed him to cope with a rare form of blood cancer.
He made his test debut against the West Indies at Old Trafford in 1963 and ended up against the same opposition on the same ground 13 years later.
The starter scored 24 in the second inning of his final test in 1976 when England were eliminated 126 by the formidable West Indies quartet and lost by 425 runs.
Edrich, awarded an MBE for his services to cricket in 1977, compiled his career-high innings of 310 without against New Zealand at Headingley in 1965.
One of Wisden’s 1966 cricketers of the year, he was famous for his cut shot and was prolific in the central area of wicket.
He was captain of Surrey for five seasons and led England once, when Mike Denness dropped on the 1974-75 tour of Australia.
His 33 undefeated at that test was particularly impressive given that he broke his ribs on the first ball he faced from Australia’s fast pitcher Dennis Lillee.
“With John’s passing, we have lost a prolific and intrepid hitter, one of the select few who have scored more than 5,000 runs for England,” said Tom Harrison, executive director of the England and Wales Cricket Board.
“His duels with some of the best fast bowlers in the world were legendary, and it is a testament to his skill that his 310 was not against New Zealand in 1965 is still the fifth highest test score by an English batsman.”
He played for Surrey for 20 years from 1958 and his 29,305 runs is the fourth-highest total in county history.
Surrey fans voted for Edrich to open batting alongside Sir Jack Hobbs in his ‘Major XI’ and John Edrich Gates in the Pavilion End of the Kia Oval is a permanent reminder of his service to the county.
“John Edrich was truly one of the best players ever to play for our club and his passing is an incredibly sad moment for all of us,” said Surrey President Richard Thompson.
“From watching his brave and charismatic hitting to sitting next to him in our committee room and learning about the game, being able to call John a friend was such an honor.”
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